Time in a Twist
by Yako-chan278
Summary: The sequel of The Dark Begins! Once again a human-turned Skitty emerges into the land of Pokemon, fighting until her last breath to save the dark future from where she was 'reborn'. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to the beginning of the sequel to: The Dark Begins! No. Not the Dark Knight Rises. I'm through with Batman. I have this story up until Chapter 6 on my Deviantart site, but I decided to post it here too! Enjoy!**

***My character speaks for herself.  
*I do not own PMD or anything in it  
*Except my own characters :P**

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The remains of the time tunnel is being whipped round and round. Something - or someone - is attacking May and Grovyle!

May screamed. "What was that!"

Grovyle dashed in front of May. "I don't know," he said. "But someone was- Aah!"

He was slashed backwards, and he crashed into May. She barely managed to push him up. "Grovyle... Are... Are you okay...?"

"Heh. I can take much more than that." He scanned the rippling landscape and smirked. "What a surprise, huh? This place lets you understand me."

May frowned. "I imagined you'd sound like that. But I think we should get going..."

"YOU SHALL NEVER ESCAPE!" A voice bellowed, and a huge figure appeared in front of them, his hands gripping the fabric of time so hard it was starting to rip apart.

"Stop it!" May cried. "You're tearing the time tunnel!"

"Exactly! Now, in you go!" His hands pulled together, and the empty space in the holes in the tunnel started to suck May and Grovyle in. "That shall get rid of you..."

"Grovyle... Save yourself..." May gasped, trying to keep hold on the corners of the hole so she could talk.

"I'm trying... _You_save yourself..." Grovyle said.

"You guys... You both save yourselves!" Suddenly two green arms shot out and pulled May and Grovyle out of the holes. May looked up at the blurry figure before her.

"No... Gardevoir!"

The Gardevoir smiled. "Yes, I figured you two would get into trouble."

"But you have to go back!" Grovyle shouted. "You can't leave that bug- I mean Celebi!"

Gardevoir sighed. "You were always a worry wart. Alright, f- AAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

"GARDEVOIR!" May screamed.

He had grabbed Gardevoir and deposited her into the hole. She could barely hold on.

"Once I get rid of her, I'll get rid of you!" He boomed.

"No! You can't... G... Gardevoir!"

"May." Gardevoir said firmly, but unnaturally calm. "You both complete your mission." With that, she let go of the corners and she was sucked in, disappeared into the black hole.

"I would've thought of a better way..." He muttered, then turned back to May and Grovyle. "Now! I shall eliminate you once and for all!"

"Excellent..." A voice echoed in May's mind. "Dispose of them. And we will have all."

Another attack lashed out - and it wasn't from the huge figure, but a much smaller one...

"Wha..." Grovyle whipped around to see a dark ball of pulsing aura heading straight towards him, but May jumped in front of him.

"NO!" She screamed. "YOU CAN HAVE ME, BUT YOU'LL NEVER HAVE HIM!"

The ball hit her chest, and enveloped her in darkness. May clawed out into the darkness. She felt something stab through her head, and a tidalwave of memories appeared beyond her. "No... Why..." She cried.

"NO!" Grovyle cried. In shock and fury, he reached out his arms for her, but as he touched the shadow - everything shattered.

"Curses!" A voice yelled, but Grovyle ignored it as he saw one of his best friends' body slowly shatter apart like glass - and disappear.

Sharpedo bluff, another world. Dark clouds swarmed the sky, lightning lashing out everywhere. The raging sea lapped against shores, whoever out at the time would've been killed. And whoever slept at the bluff wasn't getting much sleep. The next morning, a Skitty washes up on shore.

"Wh... Where am I...?" May muttered. "Everything... Hurts so much... Got to... Get... Ugh..." She collapsed back in the sand and fainted.

The following evening, a Cyndaquil was pacing up and down in front of a guild. She looked up. "This is it!" she said proudly. "I, Mia the Cyndaquil will finally join the Wigglytuff Guild to be an honorary explorer!"

"Alright... I can do this!" Mia breathed in, and out and stepped on the grate before the guild, when suddenly a voice blares out!

"FOOTPRINT DETECTED! FOOTPRINT DETECTED!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mia screamed, and jumped up in shock.

"The footprint... .. ... ... ... .. ... ... just ran away."

Mia scuttled back like there was no tomorrow. "Oh my arceus!" She yelled. "A talking hole! What's wrong with this place!" She took out a rock from... Behind her back. "Darn it, I thought this thing would help me!" She wiped her eyes in frustration and ran away.

As she disapeared, a Koffing and Zubat popped out from behind a bush. "Did you see that!" The Koffing asked.

"Sure did, sure did." Zubat said, nodding. "Some kinda' rock treasure! Do we go after it?"

The Koffing grinned. "We do."

Mia grunted as she made her way to the beach. "Ugh, that was scary..." She took out her rock again and stared at it. "Why... Why can't I... After all this years... I found this buried here... It was so pretty, so I thought I'd take it. I had this weird feeling someone put it here for me to-" A drop of water plopped down onto the rock, but she didn't notice and looked up.

Krabby were standing on the rocks around the beach, making bubbles float around the air with the sunlight reflected off it. Shy Bellossom cowered behind the trees, letting off petals and sweet scents waver into the air. Mia gazed upon the magical sight.

"It's beautiful." She sobbed. The sunlight hit the glassy part of her rock, making a beam relfect to her left. Mia looked the same way, and saw a Skitty passed out on the sand.

"Oh my arceus!" Mia gasped. "Ohnohnoohnoohno!" She ran towards the Skitty, and started shaking her awake. "Wake up, please! Please, please, please..."

May groaned. "Oooogh... Stop it... What the..."

"GAAAH!" Mia screamed. "You're alive! Thank Reshiram!"

May got up slowly with her stubby arms and looked up at Mia, then her surroundings. "A... Beach...? I don't remember being on a..." She turned to face Mia. "Oh... Look, a Cyndaquil."

Mia looked slightly offended. "Um... Some Pokemon have names, okay? Mine's Mia. What's yours? Are you okay?"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" May screamed and took a giant leap backwards. "HOLYCOWHOWCANYOUBETALKINGYOU'REAPOKEMONPOKEMONDON'TTALK-" She stopped and stared at Mia. "Mmmm... Your name seems sort of familliar..."

Mia sighed. "Eh, what can I do? It's a pretty common name. And yours?"

"Um... May. I think."

"Okay. So why did you collapse here in the first place?"

_"Huh?"_ May thought. _"I had collapsed... Really? What happened..."_

"Huh... You're a wierd Skitty..." Mia said.

May whipped around to face her. "Did... You... Say... What...?"

Mia nodded. "Uh, yeah. Skitty. You're a weird Skitty."

"But I'm not a-" May got up and ran to the ocean, unsure of why her limbs suddenly became so short. She splashed into the water, and at first she saw just ripples, but then a Skitty came into view.

Seconds passed. And suddenly she shouted "WAHOOOOO! I'M A SKITTY!"

Mia watched the Skitty in confusement as she started dancing around, then skidded to a stop on the sand. "Wait a minute..." She started. "How did I turn into a Pokemon...?"

She whipped around to face Mia and bawled "HOW DID I TURN INTO A POKEMON!"

"Whaaaaaaaaaaat!" Mia yelled. "You-You-you were something else before this!"

"YES!" May shouted, nodding. Twice. Thrice. "I was a human! Not a Skitty! (Technically I don't mind but I don't even have fingers-!)"

"D-Do you remember why?"

May sat down and thought. Minutes passed, and as she searched her memory, all she came up with was... May! And that was all.

The Skitty grasped her head and screamed. "I CAN'T REMEMBER A THING!" She started run about, flailing her arms.

Mia shook her head and sighed. "Look out!" May's voice called.

"H-huh...?"

Too late - a Zubat swiped her 'rock' that had been sticking out of her bag. "Hey!" Mia yelled. "Give that back!"

"Woah-ho, we'll give you back **this**instead!" He slammed right into Mia and she tumbled backwards.

"Give... It... Back!" Mia roared, her back flames erupting out spectacularly. May shuffled backwards.

But the Koffing just laughed - although Zubat did quiver behind him. "Whoa-ho-ho! Look who's acting all brave now! The one who was scared of a talking hole!"

"Well, it would be startling-" Zubat started.

"Quiet you!" Koffing turned back to face Mia. "You. Are. A. Wimp. So see ya!" He whizzed off into the cave behind them, dragging Zubat (without hands) along.

Mia growled, but as they disappeared into the cave, she slumped into the sand. "Ugh, they're right." She sniffled. "I am a wimp. Now I'll never get it back."

May looked at the Cyndaquil in sympathy. "I... I'll help you get it back..." She whispered.

Mia turned towards her. "No... No... May, was it? No, you can't. You'll hurt yourself. Don't go about grabbing rocks just for me..." She turned away and started cowering, and whispering to herself.

"Yeah right!" May scoffed. "It's 2 versus 2! There's a 50-50 chance! You never know until you try!"

"But-" Mia didn't finish. may grabbed her arm and dragged her into Beach Cave.

They venture through Beach Cave - Mia already knew how to fight, so she taught May what she could. And along the way, they both gathered so many oran and pecha berries, their arms were full with them. The Poke went inside Mia's bag.

As they ran up the last flight of... Uh... Stairs, they reached the Beach Cave Pit, where Koffing and Zubat were looking around warily. "Shoot, it's a dead end!" Koffing shouted in rage. "Gheh! Now we'll have to turn back, darn it."

He turned around, and they saw... May and Mia! "Give my treasure back!" Mia growled, her back flames seething out violently.

Koffing laughed. "Whoa-ho-ho! So this really is treasure!" He looked at the 'rock' in Zubat's mouth. "It must be worth millions! We can totally sell it an' make some bling for da boss!"

Mia clenched her fists. "THAT. IS. IT!" Raged, she threw her best flamethrower at the Zubat, making him topple onto the ground. The 'rock' bounced harmlessly onto the sand.

"Oh you are getting pwned!" Koffing yelled.

They fought, and with Mia's rage and confidence, May's swiftness and ton of pecha and oran berries, they defeated the two pretty quickly. And they were beat up pretty bad.

"Agh, I give... No! I won't give up!" Koffing shouted. "I.. I... I give in!" He collapsed into the water.

Mia picked up her 'rock' and dusted the sand off it. "Still safe, as always." She stared coldly at the Koffing and Zubat. "And you," she said sternly. "Will leave us alone."

The Skitty and Cyndaquil ran back onto the beach. Mia wiped her forehead and smiled. "Gosh, thanks May! I wouldn't have gotten my Relic Fragment back without you! And about you being human- I believe you. We're friends now, alright?"

May smiled back, and nodded. _"I only helped because I happened to be there..."_ She thought. _"But.. I guess it was the right thing to do!"_"So, what is that rock anyway?" She asked, pointing at the chunk of stone in Mia's arm.

"Huh? Oh, this is my Relic Fragment." Mia placed it onto the sand so she could see. "See that strange pattern? It's beautiful, isn't it?" She sighed dreamily. "One day, I'm gonna find out the secret behind this relic fragment!"

She turned to May. "So... May. What are you going to do now? You're a human-turned-Pokemon, and you've lost all your memories..."

May frowned. "I... I don't know..."

Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in Mia's head. "Oh! I know! Will you form an exploration team with me, please! We'll be the best team ever!"

"Wait, whaaaaat?" May gasped. "I don't... I..." She paused. _"Wh-What's going on! I'm suddenly being recruited out of the blue! What am I supposed to say!"_She calmed herself, and breathed out. Then she looked her friend in the eyes and solemnly said "Mia, I want to find out who I was before this, and why I became a Skitty, and I guess the best way to do that is to-"

Mia turned away. "Oh. It's okay."

May smiled. "Let me finish. I think the best way to do that, is make an exploration team with you."

Mia's eyes brightened, and she jumped and hugged may. "Gaaaah! May, thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you sooooo much!" She let go and straightened up. "Don't worry, May!" She said proudly. "We're going to be the best team ever! You won't regret it! I promise!"

May smiled again, beaming at her excited friend. _"No..."_ She thought. _"I don't think I will."_

As the both the Pokemon suddenly fired up and somehow jumped into a dance, they both swore to become the greatest exploration team of all time. What they didn't know- They were just about to step into the greatest adventure of their life into time and darkness.

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**Dude. I just copied and pasted everything down, so this should be one of the quickest stories, until I get to the one where I haven't written the next one yet. This should keep you occupied for a while.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I wrote it. Whoop-de-do! Well, I hope there's no mistakes! (There probably is, but I'll fix that later) 'Kay everyone, enjoy~**

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The sun had dipped down past the far-off mountains, seeming like it was threatening to let go of the single string of light and disappear into darkness. Two small Pokemon, casted in shadows and illuminated by light at the same time walked up to the front of the guild. A huge head, most probably the guildmaster's was built onto the top, it's empty eyes staring down at them. Hands stuck out at the side, and although it didn't seem to be moving, a sort of waving motion seemed to be implanted in them. Mia shot a look at May. "This is where we're gonna have to sign up for an exploration team, Wigglytuff's Guild." She said, gulping as she turned back to make a sort of staring competition as she watched the window eyes looming above them. "Doesn't this place... Like... Sort of creep you out?"

May took a step backwards to look at the giant head. "Uhh... Maybe." She murmured, focusing her eyes on the shape of the head, tracing its outlines and colors. _"A Wigglytuff...? Whoa. That's... Cute in a really scary way."_ Shaking her head, she turned to face the Cyndaquil next to her. "So, is she like, famous or something in this area?"

"Mm... Yes and no." Mia shrugged, cocking her head to one side. "This is a small town, after all, so it's not really like he's known throughout the whole world... But. Yeah, I guess you could say he's sort of famous." She blinked. "Master Purin, if you want, but you can just call him Guildmaster Wigglytuff, or something. I've never met him before, but... Well, I don't know, really. Anyway... And uh,... It's a 'he'."

"IT'S A DUDE!?" She exclaimed in shock. "Usually Wigglytuff families are mostly female, but... Gee- Wait, you've been wanting to join an exploration team this whole time, right? Even before you met me. So what's been stopping you?"

Mia sighed and hung her head. "Ugh, that's the problem..." She sobbed, then lifted her chin and pointed at the grate. "It's that stupid pit. Whenever you get on it, this random voice starts yelling at you, and... A-Anyway, it's okay! It won't be a problem now! Really! Okay, I can do this..." Ignoring May's worried look, she took a deep breath, stepping forward onto the grate.

Immediately, a voice as before burst out, busting their ears. "FOOTPRINT DETECTED!" It throttled. "FOOTPRINT DETECTED!" It blared another three times before an angry voice cut into it.

"I'm not deaf, alright!? SO WHOSE FOOTPRINT!?"

Mia toppled backwards slightly, and she felt the ground shift below her, but regained posture and stood above the grate, shaking. May squinted at the hole below her. _"People could just walk around that, right...?" _There was a pause before the first voice finally declared "The footprint is Cyndaqil's! The footprint is Cyndaquil's!"

A breeze of some sort pushed Mia off the grate, shoving her onto the iron bars in front of the entrance. She panted heavily, breathed out and looked up at May, who was standing in front of the grate, wondering whether to step on or run around it. Unfortunately, her choice was chosen for her. "...You, Cyndaquil! Looks like you got lucky this tie, hhh-!" The voice seemed to give a quick gasp and a soft moan, before continuing in a pain-filled voice. "G-Get that other... That person to... To stehp on thah... The grate... My stomach..."

May looked down at the grate, the holes between where the bamboo or reed pipes were covering it seeming hopelessly endless. Or was it? _"Why is it that... I get this weird feeling, if I step on this grate... It might like, tickle my feet or... Or paws, or something... Speaking of which, it's really hard to walk on all four-"_ Sighing, she stepped forward, and the voice rang out again.

This time, though, it took a longer time to register. "The footprint is uh... The footprint is uh... It belongs to, uh... Uhhhh..." An awkward silence ensued.

That is, before the second voice started up again, without seeming that the pain that inflicted him earlier was still there. "What? What's the matter? Sentry Diglett? Whose footprint?" Silence. "OH ARCEUS SENTRY DIGLETT!? WHERE ARE YOU!? REPORT! REPORT, DAMNIT! WHERE ARE YOU!?" The voice weakened slightly as whoever it belonged to ran off, but they could still make out his frantic yelling. "Oh my Arceus! Sentry Diglett's not responding! I think he's dead..."

"W-Wait, no!" The first voice, or 'sentry Diglett' burst out again. "Th-The footprint- Um... It's uh... A Skitty's! Yes! A Skitty's, I think!"

The second voice came in again, forgetting everything about his partner being 'dead'. "Wait, WHAT? Whaddaya mean 'NO'!? JUST LOOK AT THAT! It's a Skitty! What else could it have been!? Maybe? MAYBE!? YOU are the official sentry! Your JOB is to KNOW which footprint is which! UNDERSTAND? DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME, SENTRY DIGLETT!?"

"L-Look, I don't know what I don't know, okay!?" Diglett's voice huffed. "And how would YOU know if it w-was a Skitty? You couldn't even tell your left arm from a Torchic!" His voice wobbled slightly, as though saying that might've made the second voice come after and tackle him. "Anyway, so there! Hmf! I'm taking a nap!" And it settled.

There was a soft, yet oddly loud and long dramatic sigh. "Sorry to make you wait." The voice boomed. "Well, it's TRUE you don't see many Skitty around here... But you don't seem to be BAD, so... You may enter!" The iron bars closing the entry to the guild rumbled open, and Mia fell through backwards.

As May followed Mia into the tent, she couldn't help but think that Cyndaquil were much, much more rarer than Skitty. Despite the outside tent looking humongous on the outside, the inside had merely a small signboard with registration rules and a small ladder. The two Pokemon hopped onto it and skidded down, finally landing on the soft earth with a thump.

The room was much bigger than the one upstairs. There were Pokemon everywhere, big and small, all sorts of types, all chatting and running around. "Whoaaaaaaaaaaa!" They gasped, looking around. Bright sunlight came in them from every angle, a window on every wall displaying a magnificent sunset, and colorful Pokemon bustling past them. At first it look like traffic everywhere, but as they adjusted their eyes they could see there was method in the madness, and there was some sort of path in all the bustling, no one was bumping into each other at all.

Watching the Pokemon weave their way through the others, neither noticed a shoved this-way-and-that Chatot hopping towards them, undoubtedly not getting the sense in all the Pokemon traffic. "E-Excuse me!" He called as he pushed his way through a pack of Poochyena towards May and Mia. "Excuse me, you two! You came through the door, down the ladder, am I correct?"

May turned slightly, and whispered to Mia. "Nooo, we flew in through the window." Both of them giggled before May turned back to the Chatot. "Yeah, that's us. We wanted to-"

"Good. Well, shoo!" Chatot said, waving his wings. "Get out. We need no more surveys or questionares. This is a guild, if anyone knows! Goodness." He walked away, Mia and May staring at him in surprise as he turned their back on them.

"Huh? Wait- Hey, Wait!" Mia protestedd, making Chatot turn slightly, looking at them in irritation. "What- We're not merchants! We just want to form an exploration team!"

Chatot did a full-on turn, leaning forward to stare at them with his eyes wide with shock. "Pardon?" He exclaimed, aghast. _These_ two little tots wanted to form an astounding exploration team? "You two? A rescue team? Really? Are you... Are you sure? Perhaps you've come into the wrong guild, yes, this, it's very hard training to be an exploration team maybe you should just give it up after all I can't handle any more apprentices, really I-"

"Yes!" May interjected angrily, trying to squeeze in more words. "We haven't gotten the wrong guild! We just want to form an exploration team, that's it!"

Chatot frowned and spun backwards, Mia hissing softly for him putting his back against them again. "They... How can this be possible..? How could those two girls possibly have the courage to come all the way here? To Master Wigglytuff's guild! What are they thinking? Don't they know that the rookie's training is back-breaking work? That they have to run for miles? That they have to..."

"Excuse me..." Mia interrupted as softly as possible, trying not to grit her teeth as she called out in a low, angry drawl. "But is the training that hard?"

Gasping and turning around, flustered, Chatot laughed, a high screechy sound coming from his throat, realizing they'd been listening to him the whole time. "Hard? Hard? No, no, of course not!" He squawked, flapping his wings. "No, no, no! Our training is quite easy! Very easy! As easy as can be, yes! So easy that even a level 1 Pokemon can do it! Yes! Heee-heeee-heeee! Heeeeeeeeeheeeeeeeeeee-heeee!"

May took a step back without realizing it. _"Ugh, maybe we did get the wrong guild."_

Smothering his beak with his feathers, Chatot smoothed them down and tried to regain posture, suddenly turning from a laughing fit into a kind and annoyingly regal little Chatot. "And by the way, the name's Charap, although most of the Pokemon here simply call me Chatot. Can't understand why, really, they just can't seem to get my n-" He paused and looked at the two annoyed and eager faces of May and Mia and sighed. "Oh, alright. Guess you really are here to stay. Down the ladder."

May and Mia slid down the ladder in one go, stopping just before they hit the ground and jumped off, Chatot squawking as he flapped his wings and crashed, even though he had been carefully climbing the ladder. "Ugh, why is there such irony?" He groaned, getting up and leading them towards a pair of large oak doors with a swirly pink logo painted onto each door. "This is... The Guildmaster's chambers." He gulped. "Now-"

But before he finished, Mia jumped past him, going towards a window with May plastered on her back behind her. "Whoa!" She gasped. "You can still see the ocean! But we're two floors underground! So how-"

Chatot gave them an irritated glare before clearing his throat. "Excuse me, ladies! But this guild just so happens to be built right at the edge of the cliff, you could obviously look out through the window. Naturally."

"Oh." Mia said in somewhat flat disappointment, turning around and letting May slide of her back and fall onto the floor.

Chatot shook his head and turned towards the door again, the two noticing a quick shiver shoot through his body. "Now, uh, where was I... Ah yes, uh..." Chatot suddenly lowered his voice, almost threateningly. "Now, I must warn you, you must never, ever offend him. No provoking. No angering. No teasing, not even the tiniest bit, or else..." He paused, and stood still without a word from his beak for 15 seconds.

Mia grew impatient. "Or else what?"

"Or else... Or else... He... He... He'll... ... ... ... ..." Chatot's eyes had widened into sheer whiteness, and he was quivering all over. "Or else he'll... He'll... ... ... .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .. ...Yes. Yes, that's it! Th-That's what he'll do."

"Umm... Excuse me?"

_"Ah__, how can I tell them this? It's just too horrible for words!"_ Chatot shook his head. "N-No, no, no, nothing, really, just, uh, to be safe, yes..." Smoothing down his feathers for the umpteenth time, he knocked on one of the wooden doors. "Sir Pu- Errr, Guildmaster Wigglytuff...?"

And from the depths of the room, a deep, chilly voice leaked out, malice dripping from it's words. "WHO ISSSS IT...?"

May let out a frightened whimper, and Mia stepped behind her.

Chatot shivered again, puling a crooked smile at the two Pokemon in front of him. Pushing open the door, he stepped backwards. "N-Now... Okay! Come one! Go ahead, after you! Ladies first! Heheheee! Go on, no need to be afraid!" Pausing and noting their reluctance, he pushed May and Mia into the room, hurriedly hopping in after them. "G-Guildmaster... These girls would like to form an exploration team if you'd let them, but..."

The room was drowned in darkness, and not even the slim outline of what seemed to be windows at the back seemed to let in any light. Suddenly they heard something heavy scrape the floor, and all three of them jumped. "G-Guildmaster..." Chatot murmured unsteadily, looking around. Suddenly there was a soft click as a single match was lighted, its small flame bobbing in the night room.

Chatot squeaked.

Closer, closer, it came. Mia whimpered and May shuffled behind her. Whoever this guildmaster was, he surely was- BOOM!

Something exploded and the lights switched on. A pink figure zoomed in front of them. A Wigglytuff. "Hiya, friendly friends!" He said, shaking their arms like... Like... Something you shake really fast. "I was just napping, with the lights off and I was really sleepy when Mister Charappy called," he babbled, continuously shaking their hands. "So that's why I sounded so sleepy. I knocked into something while trying to find the light switch, but that doesn't matter! We're so happy to have new recruits! Welcome! Welcome!"

Mia and May stared. "Uhh.. Thank you..." Mia said, aghast. "So, uh... Where should we start first...?"

Wigglytuff released their broken arms and bounced over to the back of the room, picking up a small box filled with crumpled paper, opening the latch and tossing the contents inside backwards, he finally returned with a large parchment. He tossed it to Mia, and she caught it. "Application form!" He sang. "Go on, fill it in! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Mia lifted her hand slightly, and Wigglytuff cocked his head to one side, turning to look at an empty clay cup. "Aww, I don't have any more Tranquil feather pens left." He said gloomily, then turned again to look at Chatot, who was murmuring to himself in one corner. "Can I borrow something, Charap?" He asked excitedly. Chatot looked upwards with a blank and confused stare in his eyes, but they were quickly replaced by pain as Wigglytuff yanked his his right wing outwards and tore one of his feathers off.

"YEEEOOOOOOOOOWWWAARGH!"

"Ignore him!" Wigglytuff cheered, hopping about excitedly as he handed Mia the feather, dipping it in ink before he did. "Now fill in the form! I wanna see the great team you're gonna turn into!"

Nodding and scribbling all the information down, Mia paused at the blank space for 'Team Name.' "Uhhhh... A team name...?" She turned to Mia, her eyes filled with panic. "I forgot about that! We need a team name! May!"

"Well, what are you waiting for? Fill it in." Chatot said impatiently, rubbing the pink spot on his bleeding wing. He narrowed his eyes at them. "You have thought of a team name beforehand, haven't you?"

"It's okay if you haven't!" Wigglytuff interjected happily, much to Chatot's dismay. "C'mon! Choose something really really really good!"

"Like-"

"Like Team Chocolate Fudge Topped Apple with Whipped Cream and Rainbow Sprinkles!"

Chatot's beak fell open slightly, but recovered quickly before flapping his wings, sending dots of red stains onto the carpet below him. "S-Sir Pu- I mean Guildmaster!" He squawked. "You can't possibly be serious!?"

Wigglytuff looked at him with a wide smile plastered on his face. "What? It's good."

Mia stared at the paper intensely, as though as if she did that long enough, a magical, wonderful team name would somehow write itself on the paper. May sighed and frowned as she turned to look out of the window. The sun had already set, the moon as out at stars dotted the dark night sky. _"Wow,"_ she thought. _"Look at the sky. All those stars, it's like a field of them-"_She gasped. "That's it!"

She turned to Mia. "Team Starfield!"

...

Wigglytuff whistled as he picked up a small red case and threw it in front of May, making it unhitch open and all sorts of items tumble out. "Lookie here! Free stuffie!" He started labeling them all at once. "There's your super shiny name encrypted exploration badges, scarves if you want them, oran berries, apples and these!" He held up a yellow ribbon and a blue scarf.

"What are those for?" Mia asked, picking up one of the badges and examining it. The main button was pink with a light blue outer side, and the small 'teleportation wings' were a bright yellow. 'Team Starfield' was engraved on the back of the badge on an apple-green center in soft violet scrawl. So really, it was something you wouldn't want to look at for too long. "The scarves."

"They make you look pretty!" Wigglytuff sang. "Plus, it helps you in battle. So everyone wins!" With a flash, he suddenly had the ribbon around May's ear and the scarf tied on Mia's neck. Both of them were speechless.

"Th-Thank you Guildmaster Wigglytuff..." Mia gagged, pulling the back of the scarf to the front and re-tying it slightly, so that it came down as a loose ribbon. "Is that all...?"

"Well, you can use the bag." Wigglytuff said, picking up a large leather bag and throwing it to May, who caught it on her head. "And you know what's the best part? The bag is MAGIC! It grows! Really! And everything is FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE~!"

"Yes, quite." Chatot coughed. "Ahem. Guildmaster, if I may show them to their rooms...?"

"Yeah, go ahead!" Wigglytuff said. "Everybody needs their sleep. Keeps them nice and happy! And everybody should stay happy! Go follow Charappy and get your sleep!"

"Yes... Follow me, now." Mia and May followed Chatot out of the room, leaving Wigglytuff dancing in his room alone. They walked through a path of other rooms, until they finally reached the final room at the back. "This will be yours," Chatot said. "Now, goodnight."

Chatot hopped out of the room, leaving May and Mia to adjust to their new sleeping quarters and arrange their new items before jumping into the beds. "Oooh!" May said excitedly as she burrowed herself under the squishy, soft material. "What IS this stuff? It's so soft~!"

"Nobody will ever know." Mia sighed happily as she turned over, snuggling into the bed. "It's what they use to make beds and cushions and pillows. I still don't know what it is made of... And..." She rolled onto her stomach, watching May disappear into the bed, and wait until she popped her head out. "You know, uh, about you being human? We probably shouldn't mention it to anyone or..."

"Why, does it make me seem crazy?" May asked, watching Mia swallow a giggle. "Okay, yup, it does! Let's go to bed."

"Heheh, okay, nite May. You know, I still can't believe we joined an exploration team. It's all so exciting. And Team Starfield, that's a brilliant name, how did you come up with it? And I can't wait for tomorrow, everything is gonna be so exciting. Well... I guess I'd better get to sleep. Goodnight..."

"Well- Heh." May turned over, feeling herself sink into the soft bed. _"I have to say, I think it was a good idea making a team with Mia. Being on a team is so fun, and everyone is really nice. I think I'll like this place. The thing is... Why did I turn into a Skitty? And why? Who am I, really? Where did I come from? Did I have any family? Well... Thinking about it won't help. I'm getting tired... Goodnight, Mia..."_

...

"HEY!"

Startled, May and Mia leapt to their feet, looking round nervously. "I DIDN'T EAT THE COOKIES!" Mia blurted. She turned to see a large purple Pokemon with a large mouth and large nose and large ears staring at them, annoyed. "Oh, it's just you... ... Whatever your name was."

"Bacchus!" He snapped. "But you don't have to call me that!" He added unwittingly, then flustered. "Hey, hey, you two rookies! Up and at 'em! You're late, and if the guildmaster isn't happy with your behaviour, he'll... He'll... Eep!" And he flailed his arms and ran away.

May blinked, then burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh yeah, Loudmouth Loudred Bacchus ran away because of an adorable Wigglytuff." She shook her head and smoothed down her fur. "Eh? What happened to my- Ohh yeaaahhh, I'm a Skitty."

Mia giggled. "C'mon, we'd better get going. Is there a brush around here?"

"Who cares about brushes!" May throtled as she broke into a run, making Mia scramble after her.

The Cyndaquil and Skitty ran out, still sleepy to the small clearing in front of Wigglytuff's room. Everybody was already there, chatting. Chatot glared at them. "You two are late! You musn't make a habit of this. Now, into line!" Mia and May scuttled into the line with everyone else just as Wigglytuff jumped out of his room, singing a random string of lyrics tunelessly, sometimes stopping in the middle to replace whatever the lyrics were with "DA-DA-DA-DA DEE-DUM-DE-DUM LA-LA-LA-WHEEEEEEEEEEE!"

He paused and looked at all the apprentices in front of him. "It's good to have nice wake-up songs." He said simply, as though it was just another should-be well-known fact of the world. "Anyway! Okie-dokie! A one, and a two, and-"

"ONE! DON'T SHIRK WORK!..."

Mia and May just stood trying to copy what everyone was saying. "HOORAY!" Everyone walked away to their work.

That left the Skitty and Cyndaquil standing in the clearing as everyone bustled off, clearly with a job to do for the day. "Come over here!" They heard Chatot call, and they ran towards him. He shook his head and sighed. "You two are always lost, aren't you? Of course, you ARE new, dumb apprentices, so..." He started glumly, and May had to hold Mia back from turning Chatot into lunch for the rest of the week. "Follow me." He led them back up the stairs and in front of a notice board.

One the large wooden board where a few Pokemon had already gathered in front of were multiple pieces of paper, nailed onto the board. "These are the missions that those helpless Pokemon put up." Chatot said, spreading his wing and shoving the other Pokemon behind him away. We'll have you start out with this. Let us pick an easy one, shall we? We don't want those Mystery Dungeons getting the better of you."

"Mystery Dungeons?" May repeated.

Ignoring the annoyed and 'I-told-you-they-were-dumb' look Chatot was giving them, Mia stepped forward. "Yep. There's been a whole outbreak of them suddenly." She explained. "When you enter, you have to fight off wild Pokemon until you reach the end. If you faint, half your items and all your money will be gone."

Chatot nodded, and although his empty face remained the same, his eyes showed surprise. "Hm, yes, looks like you do know about these dungeons. Well, good for you." He turned back and pulled a random piece of paper off the board. "So, what do you say to this one?" He said, shoving the letter into May's paws.

"This isn't Engl-" She started, before Mia grabbed the letter from her paws.

"Um... Okay, let's see." She interrupted, forcing a smile for Chatot. "'Hello, my name is Spoink, and I request someone's help. Just a few weeks ago, some idiot stole my precious pearl and threw it all the way into Drenched Bluff! It's terrible. I've tried going there myself, but I always end up fainting! Please, someone, get me back my pearl! I'm just bouncing all about, I can't stand it anymore! Anyone, please, fetch my pearl. - From Spoink'"

Mia's eyes widened as she glared at the letter. "H-Hey! What kind of mission is this!?" She demanded. "We're supposed to be explorers! We're supposed to find new places, hidden treasure and..."

Excuse me!?" Chatot intrrupted. "I'll have you know we do rescue work, too! If either of you faint in a dungeon, you loose half your items and and all your money! Got that?"

"I just told her that..."

"Now go! Go! Do your mission!" Chatot squawked, chasing them out of the guild.

Mia grumbled in annoyance as she pocketed the slip of paper after scanning the wondermail code with her badge. "C'mon, May." She said, following the map to Drenched Bluff.

"Oh well. Let's go get Spoink's pearl, then. You're in lead, May!"

May gasped. "I'm... What...?" She paused, trying to remember where she had heard the line before.

_"Okay May, you're in lead! I know you can do it!"_

The sudden speech ended. May looked around, but there was no one else there. "O-Okay..." She muttered. "Let's go, Mia."

...

It took them a while to get through Drenched Bluff, but they finally made it through all seven floors until they reached the empty bottom. Spoink's pearl was just sitting there, at the end. May ran over and picked it up.

It was rather heavy for it's size, and it was a lovely pale pink mixed with a creamy white color. "I've got it!" She exclaimed, running back to Mia with the pearl in her arms. "Let's go!"

They returned to the guild, where Spoink was waiting for them, bouncing about. He gasped when he saw the pearl in Mia's arms. "Oh, my pearl!" He cried. "Thank you so much! I was so worried!"

"Well, you don't have to worry anymore." Mia said happily, handing Spoink the pearl. "Here you go!"

He grabbed the pearl and carefully placed it on his head. May wondered if it crushed his brain down every so often. "Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you so much!" He exclaimed, bouncing around even more. "Oohhh, I just couldn't stand it without my dear pearl! Here! You musn't go unrewarded!" Bouncing out of the guild like a flash, he disappeared and returned with two large sacks in his hands, throwing them to May.

Mia pulled the larger bag off her head, leaving her to groan and check the other sack while she untied the one in front of her. "T-T-Two thousand Poke!?" She stammered, looking down at the gold glinting in front of her. She whipped her head upwards and looked at Spoink. "Are you really sure it's okay for us to have all... All... All of this!?"

Spoink nodded happily. "Of course!" He exclaimed, nodding. The pearl on his head didn't budge. "Oh yes! Oh yes! My pearl is worth thousands more than that! You have no idea! Please, take it! Thank you once again, Team Starfield! Thank you! Thank you!" And he continued yelling thank you as Loudred dragged him out of the guild.

Mia stared at the money. "2,000 poké! Wow! May, we're rich! We're rich!"

"Really? 2,000 doesn't seem-"

She was interrupted by Chatot clapping his wings as he walked towards them, nodding his head. "Well, well, looks like you did quite a job today!" He said. "Now, as I must!" He grabbed the bag of money from Mia's hands, ignoring her shouts and poured out 1,800 of it.

"Hey!" Mia shouted, lunging for the bag in Chatot's wings, but May tripped her before she could sink her teeth into him. "What was that for!?" She cried, quickly getting up and scooping up the 200 Poke at her feet.

Chatot turned around with an irritated look on his face. "Didn't you read the rules?" He said, giving an exasperated sigh. The guild takes 90% of the Poké earned. As it says, that's how our friendship will build!" He said matter-of-factly as he smoothed down his feathers and strutted off.

"I'd like some fried chicken right now." Mia sighed, sounding more sad than angry.

"What can 200 Poke buy?" May asked curiously.

A little while later, Chimeco rang her bell and called out "Dinner's ready, everyone! Over to the hall!"

"HOORAY!" Everyone yelled at once, and ran to the mess hall. Mia and May ran after them.

In the mess hall, everyone was chomping down on apples, gummis, berries and all sorts of other Pokemon food. Mia and May sat at the back, munching on every steaming piece of food on their plate.

...

"For our first day, that wasn't so bad, was it?" May smiled.

Mia plonked herself down on her bed. "Yeah, I guess it was. And you know what the best part was?"

"Yeah...?"

"When Spoink thanked us!" Mia said happily. "I just felt so good! He was really nice, you know? It was fun. I can't wait for tommorrow..."

"Me neither."

"Well... Goodnight, May."

"Goodnight..."

* * *

**YEY I FINISHED!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The... Next one... Is finally here... Wow, I haven't updated my stuff in a while, have I? Haha.. Now I've got more dA and Tumblr things to take care of. Uggghh. Welp, enjoy!**

**By the way, when did the text become smaller? Hmmph.**

**EDIT: Oops... It was small when I got on, but now it's back to normal. Weird! I thought it was an update to the site or something, but I guess not! Hehe..**

* * *

"UP AND AT 'EM!" A voice boomed, making small pebbles fall to the ground and vines shake.

May turned over and opened her eyes. "Ugh, my ears." She moaned. "Hey. Wait. Why are my- Ohhh! Right! I'm a Skitty, hahaha... The second time. Gosh." She looked up to see Loudred staring down at her, who simply huffed and crossed his arms.

Mia got up next, rubbing her head. "Ouch... Man, what're you- Is it like this every day? Eh, Bacchus?" She grinned groggily as though she had been up all night partying.

"And now what did I tell you about that?" He snorted as he thumped away. The Skitty and Cyndaquil looked at each other before they started laughing and ran out to where everyone had already gathered. Remembering more of the morning lines than the other day, everyone dispersed to their work except for them. Chatot stared blankly at them before sighing and walking over.

"Still lost, I believe?" Without waiting for an answer, he shook his head. "Yes, I suspected so. Now. Come with me." He took them back up to the first floor and turn left, this time, to a different board. He raised a wing. "Take a look."

Pictures of all sorts of Pokemon were plastered on the board. Mia stared at them in awe as she inspected every Pokemon's face on each poster. "Look at all the Pokemon!" She said excitedly. "They must be famous explorers... Are they, Chatot? They look so cool! Really-"

She was interrupted as Chatot burst into a fit of giggles. This wasn't the first time, apparently, as he hooted with laughter. **((Ah, what a pun it would be if it were a Hoothoot))** "Pffft! No, no! Heeee! They... They're actually all criminals, really.." He pointed at the huge word 'WANTED CRIMINALS' painted in bold red paint on top of the board.

_"O-Oh... How did I miss that?"_

Chatot smoothed down his feathers again, nodding. "Yes, quite... Most of them truly are wicked, through and through. They only care about themselves, those lot, while others are just petty thieves with high hopes of fortune. But! Alas, their hopes they can never fulfill, as we - I mean, _you_, are here to stop them. Isn't that so?" He turned towards the board and started to examine it, squinting slightly. "Right, right, let's see, we shall pick an easy one, for little ones like you, eh? Hm... How about..."

"WAIT! WAIT!" Mia interrupted. "What the heck are you talking about? Are you seriously making us fight these... Pokemon!? I mean, look at them! Sure, they're weak, but why!? I don't want to-"

"Yes! Of course! What did you expect?"

"IN THE NAME OF-" Mia started before she slammed her foot on the ground. "NO! Absolutely not! Nope, never, I refuse! I'm not going up to some random Pokemon ten times stronger me and let him beat the crap out of-"

She was interrupted again. "Calm down, woman!" May said harshly, gently hitting the back of her head. "You swiped Koffing and Zubat's butts last time, you can do it again! Sheesh. Hurt people sometimes."

Chatot shook his head. "Dear me, how am I going to deal with these two?" He looked at them sternly. "Anyway! I'm letting you have a tour around. Generous, aren't I?" Chuckling to himself as he hopped towards the ladder and poked his head down, Mia and May shot what they could see of him angry glares. "BIDOOF!" He bellowed suddenly, and everyone jumped. "Get your furry ar- Ah, ahem, get up here, and I mean right now! Right away! This instant, and I mean it! Bidooooof!"

He jumped backwards as a brown, pudgy, plump Pokemon stuck its head out of the hole, wheezing and panting. "I-I-I'm here, s-sir..." Bidoof puffed as he wriggled through the hole and collapsed on the ground. "Wh... What do you need?"

Chatot looked at him with mild disgust and slapped Bidoof's back, as gently as he would allow, which, was not as gentle as to Bidoof. "Goodness gracious, you! Where were you? You look like you've run all round the continent! Now over here! We've got two new rookies here, and I want you to take them on a tour around the guild! We don't want them getting lost and start wandering about, now do we? Off you go!" He shoved Bidoof forward and hopped off.

Bidoof seemed to forget all about the aching pain on his back and legs as he tumbled towards Mia and May. He gazed at them in awe, starting to shake. "Oh by golly, I'm so happy, yup yup! Y'see, I used to be the newest and stupidest recruit here, but then... Oooh, then you two joined and... And, and... JUNIOR MEMBERS! HOORAY!"

"Uh..."

"Oh! Wait! No, just a moment! I... I'm fine... Just... Gotta... Catch my... Breath..." Bidoof breathed out before he finally managed to calm down, although his paws were still quivering. "Gosh, um, uh, I'm terribly sorry about that, yup yup! Oh by golly, how embarrassing how humiliating, how-" He paused and looked at the Pokemon in front of him, who were giving him exasperated looks. "Golly, there I go again! Sorry, sorry, friends! Now, um, let's, uh... What were we doing again? Oh! Yes! Tour! Let's go."

Instead of trying to keep up with him, Bidoof was trying to keep up with May and Mia as they scuttled around the guild, buzzing and bumbling happily as they looked around and asked questions. "I think that's it for the guild.." Bidoof panted as he waddled up towards them. "Whew! Oh gosh, that was some exercise, now wasn't it? Aha... Alright, now let us be to Treasure Town... Ahhh my leg-"

As they reached town, Bidoof opened his mouth to speak, but Mia cut him off. "Oh, I can tell you about Treasure Town, too." She said excitedly, turning to May. Giving a brief introduction of the town and it's roads and shops, Bidoof nodded continuously in awe. "And that's about it! Small, but bigger than Pokemon Square. It's a great place, don't ya think?"

"Pokemon square?" May repeated to herself. "Have I... Have I heard of that place before? It seems likely, but..."

"You two sure do know a lot!" Bidoof butted in. "A-Anyway, I think I'd better get back before Mr. Charap starts lecturing again. I'll see you later!" He huffed and waved, plodding away. "I'll be waiting on the guild's upper floooor!"

Mia laughed as she waved. "Thanks, Bidoof! See you!" Turning back to May, who was still wondering about Pokemon Square, she said "I think we've been dreaming enough last night. Let's go to Kecleon market - that's where the explorers buy supplies for their team."

...

The two Kecleon were arguing over who would sell the most, apples over gummis, TMs over Orbs, things like that, lowering prices to as much as 10 Poke for a reviver seed. "We'll decide what to buy, alright?" Mia said hastily as she placed the Poke on the counter and took the items from the Kecleons. "There. Try not to scare away your other customers next time."

May looked over Mia as an Azurill and Marill ran towards the shop. The Kecleon brothers grinned as they recognized the two children. "Ah, the little brothers," Green Kecleon said, spreading out his arms as though he was expecting a hug. "Nice to see you here again today. Now, what can I get you this time?"

Azurill looked up at his brother, Marill, who nodded. He turned back towards the Kecleons. "Misters Kecleon!" He said, sounding proud. "We'd like two apples, pwease!"

Purple Kecleon nodded. "Of course! Now let me just get them." He bent down and put his arm underneath the counter, trying to fish out an apple. "Yes, here you- eh?" He disappeared under the counter, then popped out again, turning towards his brother. "Brother! Where the heck are the apples!?" He hissed softly. "If you were wondering, they're not there!"

"The apples? But I... Oh! The apples! Yes, hold on a bit." He dashed into the store room and practically threw himself into the food chest and dug out two fresh, bright red apples. Curling his tail, he ducked under the counter and stuffed the apples into the bag. Standing, he handed the bag to Azurill as Marill paid. "There you go!" He said cheerfully, patting Azurill's head.

"Thank you, Misters Kecleon~!" Azurill said, running off, Marill going after him.

As soon as they were out of sight, Green Kecleon laughed softly and turned back towards May and Mia. "Those two, did you know, they're the sons of Miss. Morgan - Know her? She's an Azumarill."

May tilted her head. _"You don't say."_

"Indeed they are!" Purple Kecleon said. "Apparently she's become terribly sick, so much that she can't move from her bed. So her boys do all the shopping for her without hesitance. They do everything. Ah, so-"

"Yes, yes!" Green Kecleon puffed, pushing his brother away, then smiling at the two in front of him. "They really are admirable, aren't they?"

"Yeah! They're so sweet." Mia giggled.

Suddenly Azurill was running back, calling out "Misters Kecleon! Misters Kecleon!" He skidded to a stop in front of the shop, before Marill appeared behind him. He took out the bag and pulled an apple out of it, placing it onto the counter. "You gave us an extra apple!" He said matter-of-factly, but impatiently. "We didn't pay for this many, so we can't have it!"

Green Kecleon shook his head and hands. "Oh, no, no, no!" He laughed. "You see, that is a present from my brother and I! You can have it. You two have earned it, haven't you?"

"Oh! Weally!?" Azurill gasped in delight. "Thank you, Misters Kecleon! Did you hear that, bwother? Now we have another apple! Because Misters Kecleon are really nice! Hooray! Let's go show mommy!" The two walked away, btu Azurill got a little too excited and tripped along the bridge. Marill squeaked and ran backwards to pick his brother up, while the apple Azurill was holding with his tail bounced along the ground and landed at May's paws.

She picked the apple up and handed it to Azurill. "Dropped this. You okay?" She smiled.

Azurill looked up at her and cheered, grabbing the apple. "Yay! Thank you, Miss Skitty! Miss Skitty is really nice!"

"I'll take that as a yes," she said, before something hit the back of her head. Except nothing was there, just a horrible feeling of dizziness as her vision started to cloud. _"Aaaaaahh! What the heck- Why am- Ow, ow, my head, why-"_ And everything turned pitch black except for a single line of light shooting across the darkness and exploding.

_H-h-h... HELP!_

May jumped backwards, knocking into Mia. "Azurill!" She exclaimed, ignoring Mia. "Are you sure you're okay!? Why did you scream!?"

Azurill only looked confused. "Huh? What's Miss Skitty talking about? Silly, I didn't scream."

"What?" May whipped her head around, but Mia and the Kecleon brothers gave her equally confused looks. "But... I swear I heard you-"

"Hey, Azurill!" Marill called. "Let's go now! We've still got to look for our float!"

Azurill turned. "Oh!" He exclaimed. "Coming big brother - Thank you, Miss Skitty." And he ran off.

May turned towards Mia. "Wha... Are you sure you didn't-" But she simply shook her head. "But... But he did-"

"C'mon, May." Mia said, waving good-bye to the Kecleon behind her. "Let's go back. Bidoof's probably waiting for us - what was it - oh yeah, the upper floor, right? Let's go!" May watched the Cyndaquil in front of her walk away, and she bounded after, still worried.

They had barely made it back to the guild when in the main square, there they saw Azurill and Marill again, practically bouncing with glee. A fat yellow Pokemon stood in front of them, grinning. Mia ran up towards the fat Pokemon. "Hello!" She said excitedly. "Now what are you too so happy about?"

May walked up towards her, as Azurill turned around and cheered. "Hello, Miss Skitty! Hello, Miss Cyndaquil! Guess what, guess what?" He jumped again, almost knocking over his brother as Mia held up her paws, as if to say 'Whoa, nelly-' "Guess what!? Mister Drowzee here says that he's found our float! Hooray, hooray, hooray!"

Mia laughed, watching the younger one's enthusiasm, failing ti notice the sly grin 'Mister Drowzee' was giving them. Marill stepped closer and nodded. **((How))** "Yes, that's right!" He said. "You see- there's this thing we've been missing for a while - it's called a Water Float. We've been looking all over for it, and we just bumped into Mister Drowzee here... And he says he's seen it! Isn't it wonderful!?"

"Wow, that's great!" Mia said happily, while May thought. _"Why would they need water floats if they were water-types?"_

Drowzee nodded, still grinning, no-one noticing except for the Skitty giving him a suspicious glare. He turned away. "Yes, yes, quite... After all, who wouldn't help these two little adorable children?" He patted their heads a little roughly. "Now, come, little ones. We've a Water Float to look for, now don't we?" He started to shove them away, bumping into May before he went off. "Oh dear," He mumbled. "Sorry, miss."

May frowned, but shook her head. "No, it's alright, Mis-" She skidded backwards slightly as she pressed a paw against her head. _"Aaaahh! What the-"_ Again the diziness hit her, like something would hit... Something. _"No, no, no not again, why- Aaaaaaaahhhh!"_ She tried to scream for help, but she was only able to wheeze out air as she saw her partner in front of her, waving happily. _"Mia, wait, please... Help..."_ And everything went dark.

...

_A mountain scene appears, clouding her vision of everything else - where had the square gone? Did she suddenly teleport to a mountain? No, everything was in sepia. What was going on. She tried to move her head, paws, tails, but something held her suspended in place, the only thing she could move were her eyes as she willed herself to look around. Drowzee flickered into her view. What the- "Come on now, you blundering little twit!" He roared. Who was he talking to? She forced her eyes down more. Azurill! "Get in! Now! Nobody will know, alright?"_

_A frightened-looking Azurill cowered before him, shaking what he had of a head. "H-h-h... HELP!"_

...

And immediately the mountain disappeared, leaving May looking around at an everyday, usual busy town square. How much time had passed? It felt like so long, watching that horrible scene unfold before her. But not for Mia. She turned smiling, before it faded away. "May?" She called out, worried. "Wh-what's wrong?"

May shook in frustration. Th-th-that Drowzee!" She shouted. "He's gonna hurt Azurill! He's gonna hurt him! He's gonna.. We... We have to stop him!" She ran forward, but Mia grabbed her tail and pulled her back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Mia cried, jumping forward and grabbing the Skitty's tail. "What the heck are you talking about? He's not - How do you even know that?"

May struggled to free herself from Mia's grip on her tail. Man, for a girl who was scared of a pit sure had a strong grip. She whipped around, tears at her eyes, although she couldn't feel them. "I felt dizzy!" She pulled harder. "Then there was this black and white arrow thing, and then I saw Drowzee and Azurill on a mountain, and then Azurill screamed for help, and then..."

"Whoa, oh, no ya don't." Mia shook her head, pulling her partner back. "We can't just go rushing off like that. We're only rookies."

"But... But..."

"Besides, didn't he seem like a nice guy?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Didn't you see them happy? You probably just had a bad daydream." She released May's tail.

_"A... A bad daydream?"_ May thought. _"Is that what it was...?"_

Mia nodded. "Well, that's over. Come on, Bidoof's waiting for us. We've got some criminals to hunt!" She ran off, May running worriedly behind her.

...

"We're back!" Mia called as she climbed down the ladder and landed on the grassy floor, May coming after.

Bidoof turned towards them in shock. "Oh! Uhh... Who- OH! S-sorry, my apologies, madams... Um... Ah! Are you, uh, ready to pick out some criminals!"

_"Well, she doesn't seem as reluctant."_ May thought as she watched Mia nod bravely, pumping her little paw into a fist. _"I guess that's better."_

"Ahem," Bidoof cleared his throat, seeming proud. "Now, uh, how about I do the pickin' for ya, eh, missies?" Well, he definitely seemed regal.

Mia nodded. "Oh, um, sure."

"Alright! Let's see, uh.. Eenie, meenie... Mi-"

Seconds passed, when suddenly an alarm rang out in the air. Mia jumped. "Ah! What's up with the alarms!? They're... Alarming!" May had to smother her giggles, but jumped as well as the board flipped over, showing its empty side, without the papers before it flipped back. "What? What just happened!?"

"Ah, Dugtrio just updated the missions." Bidoof said, too calmly for his actual personality. "Anyway. Now that we've got a fresh new pick, how about..."

"GAH!" Mia jumped again, almost falling backwards as she stared at the board, starting to shake.

"Mia? What's wrong?" The Cyndaquil didn't reply, but weakly raised her paw. "Mia...?" And as the Skitty turned towards where her friend was pointing, her eyes widened in fear. "No... I knew it... Mia..."

'WANTED:' It said, it large, bold letters. 'DROWZEE'.

The two ran.

...

They reached the crossroads, where Marill was hopping about. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear... What do I do?" He murmured in distress.

"MARILL!" Mia yelled at him, making him bounce even higher. He turned around and started to cry. "WHERE IS AZURILL AND THAT SON OF A HERDIER!?"

"Uh..." Marill sobbed, pointing towards a path with his stubby arm. "D-Drowzee told me to wait here, and they went that way, but-"

"THAT WAY!" May thundered, grabbing Mia and dragging her away from a sniffing Marill.

The twisted path, getting rockier and less bare as they made on, led towards Mt. Bristle. May nodded. "Yeah... This is it! What I saw in that vision thing! A mountain place!" She whipped her head around. "Mia, you-"

Mia clenched her fists. "THAT IDIOT!" She spat, cursing more under her breath. "If he does anything to Azurill, I'll... Argh! Come on, May!" She stormed forwards. May looked at her in surprise, but ran after.

Making their way through, Drowzee and Azurill arrived at the top floor before Mia and May came bounding after them, diving behind a large rock. Drowzee turned, and watched with malice in his eyes as Azurill waddled up towards him. _"Silly mouse... Stupid enough to trust me, bah! Children."_ Azurill looked around, shivering slightly. It was cold here, and he couldn't hear his big brother. But he was there, coming towards them. He had to be. "Um, Mister Drowzee? Where is it? You said you..."

"It's not here, stupid."

"Huh? But then-"

Drowzee cut him off. "And neither is your pathetic brother, you worthless thing. Now you see that hole behind me?" Drowzee stepped away, revealing a hole cracked into the rock wall.

Azurill squinted, and nodded. "Uh-huh. Is our Water-"

"IT'S NOT IN THERE, STUPID!" Drowzee screamed at him, but calmed down. He needed that thing in front of him to obey without question. "I told you, you dirty scrub, it's not here. Now get in there. Inside that little hole, it's said that a whole bunch of thieves - maybe 40? Came and sealed away tons and tons of piles of treasure in there." Even from where they were hiding, May could see Drowzee's eyes glittering with greed. Was there that much money inside? "Maybe they sealed it away with magic or whatever the heck it way, chanting some stupid phrase, like 'Open sesame' or some shit like that, but whatever!" He licked his lips. "Get in there and pull it out for me, will ya?"

"B-b-b-but wh-whyyy?" Azurill whined, wrapping his tail around himself, as though it could protect him. "C-Can't you g-go a-and get it yourself?"

Drowzee's face grew red, you could actually see smoke pouring out of his fat nose. "ARE YOU BLOODY BLIND, KID!?" He yelled, stepping forward to crack Azurill around his head/body. But no, hold yourself. He wanted this thing to co-operate. "I can't freaking fit in there! You're the one that's gotta go get it!"

Tears started streaming down Azurill's face, sniffling. "But... But... Only bad guys steal!" He burst out, stepping backwards. "I-I'm not a bad guy! I don't wanna be! I hate bad guys! Y-You're- Waaaaa! Big brother!" He turned and ran towards the exit, nearly towards the rock where May and Mia were, but Drowzee jumped in front of him, sneering.

_"That was close."_ Mia sighed, then caught herself. _"Ahh! Th-that's not what I mean, oh Arceus... Rrrrghh..."_

"Just get into the Arceusdamned hole." Drowzee growled, his arms shaking. Why didn't he just release his power on this stubborn kid? Would make things much easier. But no, he wanted a healthy, working slave. Azurill shook his head stubbornly, more tears pouring. "Just... Just... ARGH! Come on now, you blundering little twit!" He roared. "Get in! Now! Nobody will know, alright?"

"H-h-h... HELP!"

May gasped. _"Just like in my vision, he..."_ She jumped out from behind the rock. Oops, way to give away our hiding place. "STOP! Just... STOP IT! You're the one that's stupid!"

Drowzee looked taken aback. "Wait a minute... You!" He hissed, then tried to smile. "Look, look, it's just all a big misunderstanding, isn't it, little one?" He shoved Azurill forward.

"Miss S-S-Skitty... H-He's a b-b-bad gu-"

"Oh you little idiot!" He bellowed, kicking Azurill out of the way. "How the heck did you find me!?"

"Honestly, I don't know." May admitted, then glared at him angrily. "But I swear, we're gonna stop you and- Mia?" She turned around. Where was her partner? "Uhh, Miaaaa?" She walked behind the rock, where Mia was still crouching, shaking violently. "Mia... Um, Drowzee's-"

"AH-HAH!" Drowzee cried out, grinning. He had noticed the Cyndaquil already. "I see what's going on here. I see what it is. get it! Ye're just rookies, aren't you? That's why you're tongue-tied, eh! In all my days, I've been chased down my huge teams full of Pokemon of all shapes and sizes, and I was never caught... And today, someone like you trying to go after me! Hah! Oh boy, this'll be something, now won't it!"

Silence. "Really think you can beat me?" Drowzee continued proudly, puffing out his chest.

May growled and turned towards her friend. "Why not?" She started out loudly. "Mia." She said softly, but glaring hard. "Azurill." Mia opened her eyes, scanning the area before her sight lay down on Azurill, crying and whimpering, laying on his side on the rocky floor. He was injured.

"No..." She breathed, shaking even more before she exploded. "NO! YOU MOTHERF-"

"I AM GOING TO KILL YOU!" May interrupted suddenly.

"I'd like to see you try." Drowzee sneered, before he found himself getting jumped upon by streaking shadows.

...

"Nooooo..." A fat yellow Pokemon moaned as he collapsed to the floor. They had taken out all his energy, sobbing as he pounded his fists on the ground like a spoiled child. "No, no, I was so cloooose... Stupid..."

May snorted. "Hmph. Now that'll show you who the kids here are." And with that, Drowzee fainted completely. "Azurill, over he-" She didn't finish her sentence as something shot towards her, and the two found Azurill crying in their arms.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He wailed. "Miss Skitty, Miss Cyndaquil thank you so much! It was so scawy! Thank you! Thank you! Waaaaaaaaaaaah!"

"D-Don't worry!" Mia said, trying to keep Azurill from getting his tail all wrapped around her. "Come on, Marill is waiting for you-"

"Big brother!?" Azurill gasped. "Where?" He ran down the mountain, and Mia and May had to rush after him.

...

Officer Magnezone and his two Magnemite were already waiting at the base of the mountain as May and Mia dragged a collapsed Drowzee behind them, Azurill bouncing happily on his stomach. One of the Magnemite tied up his arms, shocking him awake. "Ah, May and Mia! ZZT!" Magnezone called. "Thanks to you, we have finally been able to arrest a wanted criminal, ZZZT! We thank you for your cooperation! ZZZT!" He turned to Drowzee. "And you, ZZT, come with us!"

"What... EHH? Aww, man..." Drowzee groaned as the two Magnemite grabbed his arms and dragged him turned to Marill. "BIG BWOTHER!" He yelled, jumping into his arms. "It was so scawy!" He turned to Mia and May. "Misses Cyndaquil and Skitty saved me."

Marill hugged Azurill, then set him to the ground. "Mia and May, how can I ever thank you?" He asked. "I was so worried about Azurill... And you saved him... Oh, I thank you so much! Come on, Azurill. Let's go home."

The two Pokemon left, leaving Mia and May standing in front of Mt. Bristle. Mia turned to May. "Th-Thank you, too, May." She sniffled. "I couldn't have done this without you. If you didn't remind me..."

"It's okay," May interrupted, smiling and shaking her head. "There's nothing to thank me about. We can just go home now."

"Y..You're right. Yeah. Let's go."

...

"So, I've received the bounty from that outlaw you caught..." Chatot squawked, his eyes closed, probably to hide the proudness and amazed look behind his eye lids. He held out 300 Poke.

"WHAT!?" Mia burst out, staring at the small amount of coins in Chatot's wing, outraged. "WE DID ALL THAT FOR JUST 300 POKE!? WHY YOU-"

"Now, the rest is to pay for your training, remember?" Chatot laughed, dumping the money by Mia's feet. "Hee-hee! Now don't complain or we'll kick you out! I'd give you a bigger sh- Oh dear me, I must be going." He smoothed down his feathers awkwardly and shot off.

Mia scooped up the money, growling at the retreating form of a bird hopping away. "Ugh. I wished they'd at least give us more of the reward." Mia mumbled, then perked up. "But... That's okay." She turned to May. "If it weren't for you and your 'daydream vision' we would have never found Azurill!"

Suddenly, both of their stomachs growled at the same time. Mia burst out laughing. "Hah! We must be really hungry! I was so focused on rescuing Azurill, I didn't notice a thing!" She straightened up and wiped her eyes. "Well, I guess we better get to the dining hall!" The two continued to laugh as they made their way to the dining hall and feasted.

_"Well, at least they pay for some pretty good food."_ May thought as the dining hall started to empty, everyone returning to their rooms. Suddenly thunder cracked, and the two yelped and raced towards their beds. "What was that? Oh. Thunder. Right... Gosh, I'd hate to be out there right now."

"Not as much as me." Mia added, looking uncomfortably at the rain pounding against the glass of their only window. As they both settled down to sleep, Mia stirred slightly, turning over in her bed. "Hey, May?"

"Yeah?"

"You know about your visions?"

"Nope."

"Hey." She laughed. "I mean. I think they're connected to your human life. They have to be. I've never even heard of a human turning into a Skitty, or any other Pokemon. I always thought humans were fairy tales, you know? And I've never heard of a Skitty that can see the future, either."

May frowned. _"Mia's right..."_ she thought. _"But... I wonder how. And... Who was I as a human? Why did I loose my memory?"_

Seconds passed, when Mia said "Hey, you know what? I told you time was slowly getting whack out of the world, right... I think... Maybe... It might have something to do with the Time Gears."

"Time Gears...?" May repeated.

Mia nodded. "Yup. Time Gears. They're special gears hidden all over the world. Like in a forest... Or a lake... They're supposed to keep the flow of time around here."

"Hmm..." May murmured wistfully. "Sounds important. Can they be... Um, disturbed?"

...

_Somewhere, a figure darted through the wet trees, ignoring the rain pouring down on his back._

"I dunno," she said. "Maybe. Yeah, I think they can be removed."

_He stopped as he neared a breath-taking glow._

"But I don't know what would happen if they were. Something horrible, I guess."

_Was it really what he thought it was? It was. It had to be._

"Not even the most hardened criminals would dream of touching them. They're just that important."

_And he swiped the image in the middle of the light, waiting for the area to turn grey - he expected it, but it didn't matter now. It all mattered that he had it._

_"Well, well, looks like I've gotten my first Time Gear. Good luck, wherever you are."_

* * *

**Oh my Arceus, that was long, and Drowzee's quite the swearer, eh? Ahahaha...  
I'm re-writing every chapter now, but I will copy/paste from the story I wrote originally. It's just like, an upgrade of the original, you know?**

**Hope you enjoyed, and aaaaaaaah, fiiinally! So many words!**


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